I just bought a Bougainvillea (about 3 feet high,leggy, and blooming -
one gallon container) and what may be a cottoneaster (or crabapple)
(orange berries and about 3 ft high - 2 gallon container).
The Bougainvillea is an indoor and the other an outdoor - I believe.

What I can I do now to start preparing them for Bonsai size and pots?
Can I prune them back and do root pruning now? I do have a high
intensity sodium light environment for gardening indoors.

Any info is appreciated.

Craig

Unless you live in the Caribbean, it's a little late in the year for branch
and root pruning, especially for bougs which have tender roots and have to
be treated with care when pruning and repotting during the normal time of
the year.

I live in Orange County CA a few miles from the coast in Sunset zone 22/23.
The growing season here runs from early March to late Nov. . I repotted a
royal purple boug (5 gal size) in early Nov into a mica bonsai pot (7x10x3)
and thinned out the branches. It's still doing fine, lotsa colorful bracts.

In late Sep I hard pruned (branches and roots) a cotoneaster parneyi (red
clusterberry cotoneaster), another 5 gal nursery plant and repotted into a
mica bonsai pot.. So far, so good, but I'll be a while before the red
berries return.

Later

--
Ray Schmitt, Aliso Viejo, CA
Cold Hardiness Zone 10b
AHS Heat Zone 4
Sunset Climate Zone 22



"Craig" wrote in message
om...
I just bought a Bougainvillea (about 3 feet high,leggy, and blooming -
one gallon container) and what may be a cottoneaster (or crabapple)
(orange berries and about 3 ft high - 2 gallon container).
The Bougainvillea is an indoor and the other an outdoor - I believe.

What I can I do now to start preparing them for Bonsai size and pots?
Can I prune them back and do root pruning now? I do have a high
intensity sodium light environment for gardening indoors.

Any info is appreciated.

Craig

Hi Craig,

and Welcome.

If you will please give us an idea of where you are from - close city, USDA
Zone or Sunset Zone, etc. this will help us answer your questions.

--
Denise Hurd a.k.a. the Bride
Central CA - Sunset Zone 8-USDA Zone 9

"Denise Hurd" wrote in message ...
Hi Craig,

and Welcome.

If you will please give us an idea of where you are from - close city, USDA
Zone or Sunset Zone, etc. this will help us answer your questions.

Denise - thanks for your response - Zone 6a - Cincinnati. The Boug is
inside and under lights. The cottoneaster is in the garage without
heat.

Any help is appreciated.

Craig

"rschmitt23" wrote in message news:o9PBb.19402$yf.2652@fed1read01...
Unless you live in the Caribbean, it's a little late in the year for branch
and root pruning, especially for bougs which have tender roots and have to
be treated with care when pruning and repotting during the normal time of
the year.

I live in Orange County CA a few miles from the coast in Sunset zone 22/23.
The growing season here runs from early March to late Nov. . I repotted a
royal purple boug (5 gal size) in early Nov into a mica bonsai pot (7x10x3)
and thinned out the branches. It's still doing fine, lotsa colorful bracts.

In late Sep I hard pruned (branches and roots) a cotoneaster parneyi (red
clusterberry cotoneaster), another 5 gal nursery plant and repotted into a
mica bonsai pot.. So far, so good, but I'll be a while before the red
berries return.

Later

--
Ray Schmitt, Aliso Viejo, CA
Cold Hardiness Zone 10b
AHS Heat Zone 4
Sunset Climate Zone 22


Ray:

Thanks for your response. I am in Cincinnati - Hardiness Zone 6a. OK
to prune the cottoneaster just before leafing in spring or late
winter?
Craig

"Craig" wrote in message
om...
I just bought a Bougainvillea (about 3 feet high,leggy, and blooming -
one gallon container) and what may be a cottoneaster (or crabapple)
(orange berries and about 3 ft high - 2 gallon container).
The Bougainvillea is an indoor and the other an outdoor - I believe.

What I can I do now to start preparing them for Bonsai size and pots?
Can I prune them back and do root pruning now? I do have a high
intensity sodium light environment for gardening indoors.

Any info is appreciated.

Craig

Cotoneaster is tough and can take heavy pruning. The usual advice is to trim
the new growth during the growing season to keep the plant from going wild
and to prune the old growth in early Spring to shape the plant as desired.
Early Spring is the recommended time for wiring the plant.

Later

--
Ray Schmitt, Aliso Viejo, CA
Cold Hardiness Zone 10b
AHS Heat Zone 4
Sunset Climate Zone 22


"Craig" wrote in message
om...
"rschmitt23" wrote in message
news:o9PBb.19402$yf.2652@fed1read01...
Unless you live in the Caribbean, it's a little late in the year for
branch
and root pruning, especially for bougs which have tender roots and have
to
be treated with care when pruning and repotting during the normal time
of
the year.

I live in Orange County CA a few miles from the coast in Sunset zone
22/23.
The growing season here runs from early March to late Nov. . I repotted
a
royal purple boug (5 gal size) in early Nov into a mica bonsai pot
(7x10x3)
and thinned out the branches. It's still doing fine, lotsa colorful
bracts.

In late Sep I hard pruned (branches and roots) a cotoneaster parneyi
(red
clusterberry cotoneaster), another 5 gal nursery plant and repotted into
a
mica bonsai pot.. So far, so good, but I'll be a while before the red
berries return.

Later

--
Ray Schmitt, Aliso Viejo, CA
Cold Hardiness Zone 10b
AHS Heat Zone 4
Sunset Climate Zone 22


Ray:

Thanks for your response. I am in Cincinnati - Hardiness Zone 6a. OK
to prune the cottoneaster just before leafing in spring or late
winter?
Craig

"Craig" wrote in message
om...
I just bought a Bougainvillea (about 3 feet high,leggy, and blooming -
one gallon container) and what may be a cottoneaster (or crabapple)
(orange berries and about 3 ft high - 2 gallon container).
The Bougainvillea is an indoor and the other an outdoor - I believe.

What I can I do now to start preparing them for Bonsai size and pots?
Can I prune them back and do root pruning now? I do have a high
intensity sodium light environment for gardening indoors.

Any info is appreciated.

Craig